Halo Live-Action Web Series Coming This Fall

The trials and tribulations behind the attempt to make a movie based on the Halo games are well documented. The fustercluck that the project became is all the more frustrating for fans because we’ve seen several amazing glimpses of what a live-action Halo movie could look like. There’s still no good news when it comes to Halo‘s cinematic future, but fans of Master Chief will have something else cool to look forward to this fall. Variety reports that Microsoft is working on Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, a live-action web series set to premiere a few weeks before the release of the Halo 4 game on November 6th.

The series is designed both to appeal to die-hard Halo fans and to lure in newcomers to the franchise. Halo 4 is the beginning of a new chapter in the game’s mythology, so it’s theoretically a great place to jump into the series if you didn’t play the original games. Forward Unto Dawn will premiere on the Machinima website, as well as the Halo Waypoint online community. There is no concrete launch date as of yet.

Forward Unto Dawn will unfold as five weekly, 15-minute episodes. The story will involve the franchise’s iconic hero, Master Chief, but will also introduce a young cadet who is inspired by MC, and who will figure into Halo 4‘s storyline somehow. The series will also incorporate flashbacks to the beginning of the war against the Covenant. Frank O’Connor, franchise development director for 343 Industries, who took over the Halofranchise after the departure of original studio Bungie, explained the goals behind the web series:

Every time we do a live-action commercial the audience says, ‘We want to see more so that we can explore the ‘Halo’ universe a little bit more. Demand grew more and more out of the two little vignettes we’d previously produced … We needed a way to ensure there was a way for people to get onboard this universe without feeling intimidated.

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn is expected to have a major presence at Comic-Con this July, so we’ll update you with more details as we learn them.